How Long Does Your Landlord Have to Make Repairs?

How long your landlord has to make a repair depends on your state's law, and the clock runs from when the landlord gets your notice. Washington requires repairs to start within 24 hours, 72 hours, or 10 days depending on the problem; Texas presumes 7 days is reasonable; Florida's remedies open 7 days after written notice; Chicago allows 14 days for most defects; and California presumes 30 days is reasonable, with less time for urgent problems. Where no statute sets a number, the landlord gets a reasonable time, judged by how serious the problem is.

Repair deadlines in states and cities with a set number

Missing a deadline does not by itself let you deduct repair costs, withhold rent, or end the lease; you must also meet the remedy's eligibility and notice requirements. The law to quote in your notice is in parentheses.

Several of these remedies carry conditions that the deadline alone does not satisfy. Chicago's ordinance and Illinois's statewide repair law do not cover units in owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units, and the state law also excludes condominiums, co-ops, and public housing. Texas repair and deduct, except for sewage, flooding, or a total loss of water, also needs a local housing, building, or health official's written notice to the landlord that the condition affects health or safety. Washington's remedies require you to be current on rent and on any utilities you agreed to pay, and Texas requires current rent when you give notice. For the steps and caps, see repair and deduct and when you can legally withhold rent.

When does the clock start?

Most deadlines run from the landlord's receipt of your notice, not from the day you wrote it. Texas counts the notice as received when the landlord, its agent, or an employee gets it, or when the Postal Service first tries to deliver it. Washington and Maryland count from receipt, and Florida counts from delivery.

The notice also has to reach the right place. Washington accepts notice to the person your lease or a posted notice names as the landlord or to whoever collects the rent, and Texas accepts notice where you normally pay rent. Texas also requires a second written notice after a reasonable time unless you sent the first one by certified mail, registered mail, or another tracked service. If a second notice is required, the landlord must also have a reasonable time to repair after receiving it. California accepts oral or written notice, but its tenant guide strongly recommends writing.

Check what your notice must say. Florida's 7 days count only from a notice that names the problem and says you will withhold rent or end the lease. Illinois and Chicago require a notice saying you intend to have the repair made at the landlord's expense, and a Chicago lease-ending notice must name an end date at least 14 days after the landlord receives it.

Starting a repair versus finishing it

Washington's 24-hour, 72-hour, and 10-day periods are deadlines to start work, and the landlord must then finish promptly. Massachusetts sets both: start within 5 days and substantially finish within 14. In Texas, the question is whether the landlord made a diligent effort within the reasonable time.

Some delays stop or extend the clock:

• Washington: The deadlines do not apply when circumstances beyond the landlord's control prevent a timely start, but the landlord still must fix the problem as soon as possible, even if financing is the cause.
• Texas: Before you hire anyone, a landlord can delay your repair and deduct by giving you a sworn statement describing its repair efforts: 15 days for a parts delay it did not cause, or 30 days for a labor or materials shortage after a natural disaster, with no more than six months of delay in total. If the damage came from an insured casualty such as a fire or hail, the repair period does not start until the landlord receives the insurance money.
• Florida: If the failure is beyond the landlord's control and it keeps making every reasonable effort, you do not owe rent for the time the unit stays unlivable after you move out, and if you stay, the rent is cut in proportion to the lost rental value.

What "reasonable time" means where no number is set

Where the law gives no fixed number, the landlord has a reasonable time, and a judge decides what that means for your problem. Texas lists the factors that can overcome its 7-day presumption: when the landlord received the notice, how severe the condition is, and whether materials, labor, and utility service were available. Maryland's courts weigh the severity of the defect and the danger it poses.

Urgent problems get less time. California's tenant guide says one or two days may be reasonable when the furnace is broken in very cold weather, or when tree roots block the main sewer drain and no toilet or drain works. See emergency repairs for what usually counts as an emergency.

A code inspection can replace the general standard with a fixed date. In New York City, once the notice of violation is served, the owner gets 24 hours for an immediately hazardous condition (21 days for mold, mice, cockroaches, rats, lead paint, or window guards; 14 days for self-closing doors), no time at all for heat or hot water, 30 days for a hazardous condition, and 90 days for a non-hazardous one before civil penalties can apply.

For state-specific steps, see requesting repairs in California and requesting repairs in Florida. For how to write and deliver the notice that starts any of these deadlines, see how to report maintenance issues to your landlord.